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By Don Reisinger |
Posted 2012-04-23

Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Features It Definitely Needs

On
May 3 in London, Samsung will finally unveil the Galaxy S III, a device that
nearly every Android loverand even some iPhone ownersis excited to see. The
company has made the smart move of ignoring calls to hand over some details
before the official unveiling, instead allowing the rumor mill to do what it
does best and manufacture stories related to what the device might offer. Some
of those rumored features might eventually make their way to the device, but we
will have to wait until May 3 to find out.

Either
way,
the Galaxy S III could very well be the biggest launch of 2012 so far.
Despite countless devices making an appearance at Mobile World Congress in
Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year, it was really Samsung's flagship
smartphone that everyone wanted to see. But it ended up a no-show as Samsung
decided it wanted to make its own big splash with the Galaxy S III later this
spring. And soon, those frustrated fans will be able to do just that.

But
before that happens, it might be a good time to examine the competitive
landscape and determine what features the Galaxy S III should ship with to live
up to all the hype. Samsung might be doing well for now, but a single misstep
in its Galaxy line could yield massively negative results.

Read
on to find out what Samsung must build into the Galaxy S III to hold the
attention of smartphone buyers this year.

1. A quad-core processor

Apple
made the odd decision to bundle the A5X processor in the new iPad. By doing so,
it offered quad-core GPU performance, but a dual-core CPU. Chances are, the
company will deliver the same chip in the iPhone 5. So, to differentiate its
own product and stay a step ahead,
Samsung should bring a full quad-core chip to the Galaxy S III.

2. Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Google's
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) platform is really the only version of the
company's software that should be making its way to the Galaxy S III. After
all, Samsung's device will be the latest and greatest smartphone on store
shelves. Why shouldn't it run the latest and greatest Android version?

3. 4G LTE

It's
no secret that 3G is on its way out. In the U.S., just about every carrier is
spending serious cash on 4G LTE. With this in mind, Samsung should bundle the
technology in its flagship smartphone and put the onus on Apple to respond with
the same feature.

Build In Plenty of Storage

5. 32GB of storage (and up)

The
future of the mobile industry relies on storage. An increasing number of people
are buying video, music, apps and other multimedia. So they need more capacity
to store all of those digital downloads. If the Galaxy S III is to be
successful, it'll need to respond by shipping the device with an ample storage
capacity of 32GB and up.

6. A new design

The
Samsung Galaxy S II comes with a nice enough design, but it's somewhat lacking
when compared with the iPhone and other later releases from companies like LG.
In response, Samsung better show off something incredibly impressive with the
Galaxy S III. Design matters in the mobile space. Apple knows it. Does Samsung?

7. Cloud integration

Apple's
iCloud has been a nice addition to the iOS ecosystem, and a key reason some
people stick with the company's devices. Now, there are rumors surfacing saying
Samsung will respond with a cloud solution all its own called S-Cloud. Here's
hoping that platform comes to the Galaxy S III and allows for seamless data
synchronization across Android-based devices.

8. A serious camera

One
of the main reasons people buy smartphones and tablets these days, next to
telecommunications and Web access, is to snap photos. So, to make the
experience far more appealing, companies like Apple and others have been
bundling better cameras into their handsets. According to some reports,
the Galaxy S III could come with a 12-megapixel camera. Note to Samsung: Follow
through on that report.

9. Near-field communication

Google
Wallet might have gotten off to a rough start with little usage and security
problems, but the platform is here to stay. Over time an increasing number of
Android-based devices will support the mobile-payments system. So, perhaps
Samsung should bundle near-field communication technology into the device to
take a leading position in supporting this technology.

10. An affordable price tag

Finally,
and perhaps most importantly, Samsung cannot go overboard pricing its smartphone.
Yes, it's a flagship device and yes, it'll probably be the best answer this
year to Apple's iPhone 5, but that doesn't mean that it should cost any more
than $199 to start. Apple dictates pricing in the mobile space, and Samsung
must remember that.